Hop age question

[Toy4Rick]

Hey gang,

I seem to find my stash of .5oz or .75oz of various hops keeps increasing, not that it's a bad thing to have extra hops around, however I was wondering how long hops will last before losing their flavor/AA%.

Should they be refrigerated or frozen, which is best?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Toy4Rick

 

[LexusChris]

I had the same question ... and was pointed to this article..
http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/04/15/brewing-hops-storage-preserving-precious-hops/

Just be sure to give old hops a good sniff before throwing them into the kettle.. if they smell bad/cheesy ..trash them. I made the mistake of using them anyways, and the beer was not enjoyable.
--LexusChris

 

[mattymatumbo]

I bought a rogue kit which came with hops that didn't have an ice pack, let alone the box was covered in dust. They smelled hoppy so we through them in.

 

[aiptasia]

Beersmith will tell you the A/A% based on the age of the hops (if your hops have a date code on them, that is).

Also look for signs of yellowing if they're pellet hops.